MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL TOURISM REPORTING TEMPLATE Country: ROMANIA

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1 MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL TOURISM REPORTING TEMPLATE Country: ROMANIA Article 3 of Council Decision 86/664/EEC 1 of 22 December 1986 establishing a consultation and cooperation procedure in the field of tourism stipulates that: "...each Member State shall send the Commission, once a year, a report on the most significant measures it has taken and, as far as possible, on measures it is considering taking in the provision of services for tourists which could have consequences for travellers from the other Member States. The Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof". The following reporting form aims at facilitating compliance with this Council Decision. SECTION 1 TOURISM ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE This section is aimed at reporting on the following: Administrative organisation Territorial organisation Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and the provinces / regions Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and industry associations, stakeholders and customers 1.1. Please provide a short description of the administrative and territorial organisation of public bodies responsible for tourism, indicating the relationship and cooperation between national, regional and local bodies of the core responsibilities and competences of each department (Max characters) The administrative authority at the central level in the field of tourism functions under the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Tourism: the National Authority for Tourism. The main fields of activity consist of drawing up and implementing the national tourism strategy, promoting Romania as a tourist destination both domestically and internationally, developing destinations and tourist products, developing the tourist infrastructure, issuing accommodation and tourism licences, controlling the quality of tourism services, evaluating and selecting the applications for EU Regional Operational Programme. At territorial level there are 13 representatives which collaborate with the local public administrations, private sector and tourism NGOs for implementing the national tourism policy. ANT has also 10 offices abroad responsible for Romania s promotion, in the following cities: Rome, Austria, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, London, Warsaw, Moscow, New York, Beijing &pgs=10&hwords= 1

2 The local level administrative bodies consist of the county administrations and the city/town administrations. The tourism role of the local administrations is to develop on their own behalf and to assist the ministry in implementing the tourism policy at local level. According to Ordinance No. 58 of 1998, Article 20, the responsibilities of the county administrations in the field of tourism refer to: Inventory of main tourist resources; Administration of the local registers of tourism patrimony; Drafting of the development proposals, which are the basis for the annual program for tourism development; Participation in the homologation of tourist tours and ski tracks; Contribution to the increase of quality of tourist products; Supervision of tourist activity, in order for the operators to have access to tourist resources. Tourism related departments can be established within the public administration at the local level Please provide an organisation chart reflecting the above described administrative and territorial organisation Please list and describe briefly the relationship and main areas of cooperation between national/regional public tourism bodies and the most significant / active private organisations / stakeholders / industry associations /unions / consumer organisations. (Max characters) The Consultative Committee in Tourism is the body under which the representatives of the public and private sector and the tourism NGOs reunite in order to discuss aspects regarding the tourism policy. In the field of human resources there is the Committee for Tourism, Hotels and Restaurants, coordinated by the National Council for Adult Vocational Training. 2

3 At the local level there were established county tourist associations bringing together the public and private stakeholders and NGOs, like in Sibiu, Brașov, Prahova, Covasna, Harghita, Mureș, Constanța, Bucovina (Suceava). Some of the tourist associations are reunited within the Federation of Association for Tourism Promotion (FAPT) What is the existing national/regional specific legislation on tourism? (Max. 500 characters) The legislation in the field of tourism is grouped into 3 main categories: o Control and authorisation - Classification of tourist facilities, licensing the travel agencies and tour operators, certifying the tourism management - Authorising the beaches - Authorising the tourist guides o Tourist promotion o Tourism development SECTION 2 - MEMBER STATE ECONOMIC DATA AND TOURISM BUDGETS This section is intended to provide an overview of the key statistical information about the general tourism economic environment of the Member States. Data marked with green is also collected by Eurostat. Data marked with orange is equally collected by the OECD. The data categories match the templates of these two organisations, therefore data reported to the Commission can be transferred / used when reporting to Eurostat and OECD and vice-versa. The statistical data provided in the tables below shall cover the year 2012 and, if available, The data collected through these sections will also feed into the future Virtual Tourism Observatory. Please use the Excel templates provided below in order to facilitate coherence and comparability of the data. Please note that you are only requested to fill in data that is available in your country. Please insert "N/A" for those that you are not able to provide. Microsoft Excel Worksheet SECTION 3 NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND STRATEGIES This section aims at collecting information on the Member States general strategic vision as well as the specific objectives of their tourism policies. 3

4 3.1. Please provide information in bullet points on the key mission, main medium and long-term objectives and the main targets of your national tourism policy. (Max characters) The tourism policy is included in the Government Programme , within the chapter Tourism, SMEs and Business Environment. The main fields referred to are: - Tourism strategy o Applying the best practices related to the organisation of the Local Tourist System, implemented in countries with developed tourism, o Connecting the tourism products to European and international practices and tendencies. o Decentralising the authorising activity o Promoting and capitalising on the competitive advantage of Romanian products and services ( medical, agricultural, creative industries, It, etc) - Institutional cooperation o With the Ministry of National Education for promoting common programmes for student camps in low season o With the Ministry for Labour, Family, Welfare and Seniors regarding the increase of the number of pensioners who can beneficiate of the special tickets in spas. o With the Ministry of Health for developing common programmes for the recovery of the labour force in spas o With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the visa procedure for tourists o With the Ministry of Culture for developing heritage tourism. - Legislative and institutional measures o Adoption of the new Tourism Law which will include the legislation regarding vocational training and education in tourism; the authorisation and control; the fiscal facilities for tourism investments; public private partnerships for tourist promotion abroad o Developing a network of tourist information centres o Extension of the system for current collection and analysis of statistics and market studies. - Fiscal measures o Exemption for profit tax for 3 years for new investments in tourist facilities o Exemption for profit tax for 5 years for investments in spa tourism o Fiscal facilities for tourist accommodation units which obtained the eco label o Exemption of tax on reinvested profit, provided that investments are made for the improvement of tourist facilities - Measures for specific forms of tourism: seaside tourism, mountain tourism, spa tourism, rural tourism, events tourism, cultural tourism, tourism in thematic parks and tourism in the Danube Delta Do you have a multi-annual national tourism strategy specific / relevant for tourism in place? If yes, please describe in bullet points the main medium and long- 4

5 term objectives of the strategy as well as who is responsible for its implementation. How is the implementation monitored and how often? (Max characters) The tourism strategy main document is the National Tourism Development Master Plan for Romania , developed in collaboration with the World Tourism Organisation. There are also two sectorial strategies, the National Eco-Tourism Strategy and the National Strategy for Spa Tourism. The Strategic Marketing and Operational Plan for Romania was elaborated within the Regional Operational Programme The Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration from Romania coordinates together with the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism from Bulgaria, the Priority Area 3 Promotion of culture, tourism and people to people contacts, of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region. The main key objectives of the Master Plan are: To establish a heightened awareness both domestically and internationally of Romania's positive appeals as a tourist destination and its tourism brand image; To ensure that tourism is developed in a sustainable manner so that the environmental, cultural and heritage appeals are both appreciated today and preserved for future generations; To create an awareness among the population of Romania of the tourism appeals of the country and a desire to share these with visitors; To restructure the NTA as an efficient and effective national tourism organisation, marketing the tourism products and services of Romania, ensuring quality product and service standards, providing information to visitors and supporting all sectors of the country's tourism industry in the development of tourism; To develop and implement annual collaborative public/private sector destination marketing plans targetting all major markets with potential for Romania To offer coordinated support mechanisms to regional and local tourism organisations in the development of area tourism policy, strategies and plans; To establish a network of coordinated tourist information centres in all main tourist areas in order to extend a warm welcome to visitors, providing appropriate information to assist in their orientation, enjoyment and appreciation of the destination; To develop a refined system of product and service classification and grading to ensure the provision of quality products and services to meet visitor needs and expectations; To introduce mechanisms and incentives to facilitate investment in tourism by both Romanian and foreign investors; To consolidate the legal framework for tourism so that it will ensure good practice and guarantee high standards without undue bureaucracy; To encourage town, county and regional authorities to develop integrated tourism development plans including all infrastructure elements to avoid uncoordinated and incompatible development; To develop the provision of pre-vocational and vocational training for the hospitality sector so that curricula evolve to meet changing market needs and sufficient staff are qualified to meet employment demand / fill employment vacancies; To identify season lengthening development opportunities for the Black Sea coastal resorts and facilitate their introduction; To assist the development of ecotourism in the Danube Delta, national parks and reserves and rural areaslegislation; 5

6 To train and assist major national museums and monuments in improving their visitor facilities, especially welcome and interpretation and marketing, as an example to all such monuments. To establish cooperative and collaborative frameworks within and between public and private sectors. To expand the system for the regular collection, analysis and dissemination of tourism statistics and research to assist in the creation of a Tourism Satelite Account for Romania and facilitating investment and marketing decision-making. 4. TOURISM CHALLENGES, MEASURES AND INITIATIVES This section aims at collecting information on the challenges the Member states and the tourism industry has to deal with as well as the measures put in place to tackle them Please identify the key challenges for the tourism sector in your country and indicate their importance /priority in the table below CHALLENGES Diversification of the tourism offer Protection of the cultural heritage Protection of the natural heritage ICT and innovation Connectivity and transport Employment in tourism Improving education and skills in tourism Combatting seasonality Demographic changes Improving accessibility of tourism Improving socio-economic data in tourism Economic crisis and recovery Improving the sustainability of tourism offer Combatting climate change Improving the quality of tourism offer Developing responsible tourism practices Competition against other destinations Administrative / regulatory burden, bureaucracy Other, please specify IMPORTANCE / PRIORITY HIGH MEDIUM LOW 4.2. Please describe briefly the main measures in your country aimed at tackling the key high-priority challenges indicated above. (Max characters) 6

7 The promotional activity is focused on the 6 key products identified within the brand research: Health and wellness: relaxation, recovery treatments, bio food Touring: cultural tourism, visiting historical and traditional sites Rural tourism: holidays in small rural guest houses/farms/ ecotourism Active tourism: cycling, trips, hiking, equestrian tourism Trips and holidays in the wild nature and in natural parks: observing specific flora and fauna for example birds and animal watching City breaks: weekend touring in a city According to the Strategic Marketing and Operational Plan for Romania , there are identified 8 target markets: Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Austria, Russia, USA, Hungary and 11 opportunity markets: the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia, Republic of Moldavia, China, Japan. ANT participates to European projects like the European Destinations of Excellence, Cultural Routes in the Middle and Lower Danube II, Alector (Black Sea Basin Programme). There is also under implementation the project regarding the designation of eco-destinations. Following the National Eco-Tourism Strategy, there was elaborated a system for evaluating eco-destinations, Romania being the first country in Europe which developed such a system. It is based on the European Ecotourism Labelling Standard, recognised at international level in September 2012 by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Following the evaluation, 2 destinations were designated: Zărnești and Mara-Cosău - Creasta Cocoşului Area from Maramureş historical region. Between the project The national network of ecotourist destinations sustainable development instrument, co- financed by the NGO Fund in Romania, will be implemented by ANT and the Association of Ecotourism in Romania. It aims to support destinations in fulfilling the eco destinations criteria and developing destination management. For improving the image of Romania as a tourist destination according to the principles of the new tourism brand, developed with European funds, ANT participates to tourism fairs both in Romania and abroad (Europe, Asia, North America), organises info - trips for journalists, opinion leaders and tour-operators, co-produces TV broadcastings, organises media and outdoor campaigns, produces promotional materials, undertakes online promotion on websites and social media. Fiscal measures for encouraging tourism is one of the main domains as presented within the Government Programme In December 2014 there was approved an Emergency Governmental Order for reducing the VAT for travel packages from 24 % to 9 % Please identify if any of the above mentioned challenges relate to any legislative measures at EU level, and how. (Max characters) The measures taken by the National Authority for Tourism follow the priorities identified within the document Europe, the world s no 1 tourist destination a new political framework for tourism in Europe: stimulate competitiveness in the tourism sector, promote the development of sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism, consolidate the image and profile of Romania as a collection of sustainable and high-quality destinations, maximize the potential of EU financial policies ad instruments for developing tourism. 7

8 4.4. Please identify and describe any measures implemented in your country to increase tourism flows from other EU Member States and from third countries. (Max characters) - participation to international tourism fairs in Europe, Asia and North America (34 in 2014) - organising info trips for journalists, opinion leaders and tour - operators - outdoor campaigns in target and opportunity countries like Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Turkey, Israel, - collaboration with Travel Channel for producing the second and the third part of the famous documentary about Romania Wild Carpathia. -collaboration with National Geographic for producing a documentary within Smart Cities concept -online promotion on Facebook and tourism websites: romaniatourism.com, printing promotional materials like the maps for cultural routes: the route for the prehistoric art and heritage of migratory people, for gardens, parks and landscapes, of towns and balneary heritage in Romania, of the Jewish heritage in Romania, of the European cycling tourism and long distance walking routes across Romania, for the fortified churches in Transylvania, churches with outdoor painting in Bucovina and the Saint Mary s route, for the national and nature parks in Romania, for the Roman emperors route, for Transromanica, Cistercians and military fortifications, for the winegrowing heritage Please describe how promotional measures implemented in your country make use of / capitalise on the promotional campaigns carried out by the Commission (i.e. Ready for Europe, EDEN, low-season tourism campaigns, etc.). (Max characters) Romania participated to all EDEN editions having selected 6 winners and 19 runners up. The promotional videos made for the winner destinations were posted on the official Youtube channel and links to the destination presentations on Eden website were published on ANT s website During Romania has participated to EDEN Promotion and Awareness Raising Campaign, targeting two markets: Romania and Austria Please identify and describe any measures /actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of national policies for developing tourism (e.g. ensuring that tourism interests are taken into account in the development of other policies which may have impact on tourism). (Max.1000 characters) The National Authority for Tourism collaborates with the Ministry of Culture for representing Romania within the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, established by the Council of Europe. The National Authority for Tourism collaborates with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes within the Carpathian Convention, which aims to encourage cooperation for the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians in order to improve the quality of life for the local population and to preserve the natural and cultural values. 8

9 4.7. Please identify and describe any measures/actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of EU Financial Instruments for developing tourism (e.g. information on main objectives, financing opportunities, training courses, etc.). (Max characters) Monthly the Regio Magazine is published in Romanian language and quarterly in English language for promoting the financed projects of the Regional Operational Programme which includes Priority Axis 5: Sustainable development and promotion of tourism. There were also published articles in the national newspapers, information on the website and on the Facebook page of the programme, there were organised the Forum of Regio Communicators and the Conference for presenting the Annual Implementation Report There were produced 20 TV spots and 12 radio spots which were broadcasted during the campaign organised between 1 September 7 November. 4.8 Please describe shortly which EU programmes are used the most frequently and for what purposes of tourism development in your country. (Max characters) For there are new European funding opportunities for tourism that will be accessed in the next period. For the period the National Authority for Tourism managed the key area 5.3 Promoting the tourism potential and setting-up the needed infrastructure in order to increase Romania s attractiveness as a tourism destination from the Priority Axis 5: Sustainable development and promotion of tourism of the Regional Operational Programme The main purposes of the Priority Axis 5, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), are to achieve sustainable valorisation and promotion of the cultural heritage and natural resources with tourism potential, as well as to improve the quality of accommodation and leisure tourist infrastructure, in order to increase the regions attractiveness, develop the local economies and create new jobs. It is expected that this will lead to a qualitative growth, according to European standards, of the entire tourism industry, with a direct impact on growth of tourist demand for Romania, as an European tourist destination. Sustainable and responsible tourism, whether talking about economic, social or environmental sustainability, is a broad concept and may be interpreted in various ways depending on the attributes of a Member State or region. The following questions focus on sustainability and responsibility in tourism as described in the 2007 Commission Communication 2 on an agenda for sustainable and competitive European tourism Sustainable destination: What support is given to strengthen destination management at the national /regional/local level (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, training programmes, technological support tools, financial support, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max characters) In the context of the EU European Destinations of Excellence - EDEN project, 6 destinations /index_en.htm 9

10 of excellence have been designated: Horezu, for the theme tourism and local intangible heritage (2008), Apuseni Nature Park for the theme tourism and protected areas (2009), Geoagiu Bai for the theme aquatic tourism (2010), Alba Iulia for the theme tourism and regenerated physical sites (2012), Buzau Land for the theme rural tourism (2012) and Jurilovca for the theme accessible tourism (2013) ( Between January 2014 June 2015 the project EDEN Romania Promotion and Awareness Raising Campaign, co-financed by the European Commission, is implemented, aiming to promote and raise awareness over the 25 destinations selected by now (6 winners and 19 runners-up the 2 nd and 4 th place). ANT supported events organised in various locations, in order to increase their impact and to promote the tourism brand of Romania. Following the National Eco-Tourism Strategy, there was elaborated a system for evaluating eco- destinations, Romania being the first country in Europe which developed such a system. It is based on the European Ecotourism Labelling Standard, recognised at international level in September 2012 by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Between the project The national network of ecotourist destinations sustainable development instrument, co- financed by the NGO Fund in Romania, will be implemented by ANT and the Association of Ecotourism in Romania. It aims to support destinations in fulfilling the eco destinations criteria and developing destination management. There were created cultural routes both at national and international level as follows: - the Route of Fortified Churches of Transylvania - the Route of the Churches with Exterior Frescoes of Bucovina - the Pilgrimage Route of St. Mary (collaboration with Austria, Hungary and Slovakia) - the Danube Wine Route (collaboration with Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia within the project Cultural Routes in the Middle and Lower Danube Region a project co financed by the European Commission) - the Roman Emperors Route (collaboration with Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia within the project Cultural Routes in the Middle and Lower Danube Region a project co financed by the European Commission) ANT supports the development of clusters in tourism as they are considered key factors of innovation and economic growth by stimulating the interaction between the stakeholders Sustainable businesses: What support is given to strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism businesses (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, orientation of business support services to sustainability, training, financial incentives, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max characters) The tourism businesses can participate free of charge within ANT stand at tourism fairs. In 2014 ANT participated to 34 tourism fairs in Europe, Asia and North America. For encouraging sustainable tourism products, two labels are awarded: the European Ecologic Label awarded by the Ministry for Environment and Climate Change, and the Ecotourism Certification System developed by the Association of Ecotourism in Romania. For supporting the quality of the Romanian Black Sea Coast beaches at international standards, the "Blue Flag" Programme has been implemented in Romania by the national tourism authority since

11 ANT undertakes control and authorisation as follows regarding classification of tourist facilities, licensing the travel agencies and tour operators, certifying the tourism management, authorising the beaches and walking routes, authorising the tourist guides and certifying the tourism vocational courses Responsible tourism: What support is given to tourists and the tourism industry to promote their responsible practices and choices (e.g. awareness raising, sustainability in education, national marketing and media campaigns, promotion of certification schemes, etc.)? (Max characters) ANT participates as Partner together with organisations from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine to the project ALECTOR- Collaborative networks of multilevel actors to advance quality standards for heritage tourism at Cross Border Level - Black Sea Basin Joint Operational Programme The project is implemented between January 2014 December 2015 and focuses on different types of tangible-intangible heritage categories and their values as main lever to invest in human capital and innovation, in an effort to achieve stronger regional partnerships and cooperation in the Black Sea and create quality cross border tourist products. There is a free phone number Telverde where complaints can be made regarding tourist services. The territorial representatives offer counselling regarding classification of tourist facilities, licensing the travel agencies and tour operators, certifying the tourism managers and tourist guides, authorising the beaches, ski slopes and walking routes, and certifying the tourism vocational courses Please describe maximum three of the most significant planned / future tourism measures (legislative or non-legislative) which envisage to impact travellers visiting your country from other Member States or from outside Europe. (Max characters) 1. Promoting the tourism brand of Romania Improving the image of Romania as a tourist destination according to the principles of the tourism brand, developed with European funds. The planned activities refer to: - creating an image bank with films, advertising spots, documentaries and photographs. - an integrated communication campaign on international level on the main markets: Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Hungary. - publicity campaign on media channels - participation to international and internal tourism fairs - promotional materials - online promotion - info trips for journalists, opinion leaders and tour -operators - organising events 2. Developing heritage tourism A study was undertaken by the National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism in 11

12 order to identify the potential for developing cultural routes in Romania. Following the results presented, a series of seminars were organised in the main cities of Romania for increasing awareness over the existing potential for developing cultural routes. According to the study the following European cultural routes can be developed in Romania: the Vikings, Vauban, the Jewish heritage, St Martin of Tours, Transromanica, Itervitis, Cistercian heritage, the significant cemeteries, the prehistoric art, the historical thermal towns, ceramics, ATRIUM, Art Nouveau, Via Habsburg. 3. Designating eco-destinations and creating a network in order to facilitate their future development. 5. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 5.1. Please describe maximum 3 best practices of tourism measures implemented at national, regional or local level (any type of activity). (Max characters) 1. Designating eco - destinations Following the National Eco-Tourism Strategy, there was elaborated a system for evaluating eco- destinations, Romania being the first country in Europe which developed such a system. It is based on the European Ecotourism Labelling Standard, recognised at international level in September 2012 by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Following the evaluation, 2 destinations were designated: Zărnești and Mara-Cosău - Creasta Cocoşului. 2. Developing 2 trans-national cultural routes: The Roman Emperors Route and the Danube Wine Route The project Cultural Routes in the Middle and Lower Danube II Roman Emperors Route and Danube Wine Route going to Market, co financed by the European Union, where ANT is partner together with organisations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia, will continue the development of the two transnational cultural routes: The Roman Emperors Route and the Danube Wine Route. The project is implemented between April 2014 September The aim of the project is to contribute to the diversification of the European tourism offer by promoting cultural tourism through two cultural routes equally putting into perspective common but unique European heritage of the Roman period and wine culture enhancing thus the image of the area as a distinguished and responsible destination. 3. Organizing events In order to promote the tourism brand of Romania and to increase the impact of local festivals, ANT supported the organization of around 100 events all over the country Please describe, in a concise manner, in your view, what policy developments / actions /activities would you expect from the Commission's tourism team that would serve better (than the current ones) the EU Member States and the industry. (Max characters) Awareness raising campaigns (photo exhibitions, tourist film projections, etc) regarding the tourism potential of Europe and the programmes developed by the Tourism Policy Unit, organised in the capitals of each Member State. 12